{{short description|Pine cone-shaped motif in ornament}} thumb|Sehna Kilim with boteh design, first half of 19th century thumb|Boteh motif The '''boteh''' (Persian: بوته), is an almond or pine cone-shaped motif in ornament with a sharp-curved upper end.<ref name="Эрмитаж">{{Cite book| title = Ковры типа Фахралы | author = Н. Самгнна. | publisher=Искусство| location=Сообщения Государственного Эрмитажа| year = 1995| volume = 56| pages=59}}</ref> This Persian pattern is one of the national symbols of Iran and also very common and called '''buta''' in India, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and other countries in the Persianate cultural sphere.<ref name="Эрмитаж" /> In India, the shape is associated more with a mango than with a pine cone, and is called '''ambi''', from ''āmra'' ({{langx|sa|आम्र}}) meaning mango. By the 19th century, it spread to Europe via Kashmir shawls. By the 1860s, the shape and textiles utilizing the motif became known as Persian paisleys, as Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland became a major centre for the production of high-demand imitation boteh textiles that were crafted for a new audience of transatlantic consumers.

In Asian ornament, the boteh motifs are typically placed in orderly rows, though especially in India they may appear in a pattern in a variety of sizes, colours, and orientations, which is also characteristic of European paisley patterns.

Scholars{{who|date=September 2015}} believe the boteh is the convergence of a stylized floral spray and a cypress tree: a Zoroastrian symbol of life and eternity.<ref name=ZT>{{Citation | url = http://www.zanzibartrading.com/indian_shawls.htm | title = Indian Hand Woven Jacquard Jamavar Shawls | publisher = Zanzibar Trading | access-date = 2019-08-07 | archive-date = 2012-01-18 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120118083542/http://www.zanzibartrading.com/indian_shawls.htm | url-status = dead }}.</ref> The "bent" cedar is also a sign of strength and resistance but modesty. The floral motif originated in the Sasanian Empire and was later used in the Safavid Empire, and was a major textile pattern in Iran during the Qajar and Pahlavi eras. In these periods, the pattern was used to decorate royal regalia, crowns, and court garments, as well as textiles used by the general population.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} Persian and Central Asian designs usually range the motifs in orderly rows, with a plain background.

==Uses== The motifs can still be found on Persian carpets, Armenian carpets, Azerbaijani rugs, kalaghai shawls and textiles, paintings of decorative-applied arts of Greater Iran and also in decorations of Persian architectural monuments.

It is woven using gold or silver threads on silk or other high quality textiles for gifts, for weddings and special occasions. In Iran and Uzbekistan, its use goes beyond clothing, with paintings, jewelry, frescoes, curtains, tablecloths, quilts, carpets, garden landscaping, and pottery also sporting the ''boteh'' design. In Uzbekistan the most frequently found item featuring the design is the traditional ''doʻppi'' caps.{{Citation needed|date=November 2008}}

In Tamil Nadu the ''manga maalai'' (mango necklace)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.asianart.com/jewelofthelotus/d11603.html |title=22Kt gold Mango Mala necklace from India on Jewel of the Lotus |publisher=Asian art |access-date=2013-03-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130625094505/http://www.asianart.com/jewelofthelotus/d11603.html |archive-date=2013-06-25 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://jewelsinindia.com/TraditionalJewelsInIndia.html |title=Traditional Jewels of India |publisher=Jewels in India |accessdate=2013-03-11 |archive-date=2012-12-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121203200209/http://jewelsinindia.com/TraditionalJewelsInIndia.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> with matching earrings is a traditional feature of bharathanatyam dance.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vadaamalar.com/jewelry/indian-dance-jewellery/mango-necklace.html |title=Blue stones Mango Necklace Temple Bharatanatyam Jewelry |publisher=Vadaamalar |date=2011-01-08 |accessdate=2013-03-11 |archive-date=2013-12-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219021838/http://www.vadaamalar.com/jewelry/indian-dance-jewellery/mango-necklace.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> It is a prominent design in Kanchipuram saris.<ref>{{cite news| first =K | last = Sarumathi | url = http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-downtown/ms-blue-mango-motif-still-in-vogue/article3756002.ece |title= M.S. blue, mango motif still in vogue |newspaper= The Hindu |date= 2012-08-12 |accessdate= 2013-03-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last =Trends |first=Desi |url=http://www.celebritysaree.com/2012/06/jayapradha-red-kancheepuram-bridal-sari.html |title=Jayapradha Red Kancheepuram Bridal Sari &#124; Saree Blouse Patterns |publisher= Celebrity saree |date= 2012-06-15 |accessdate= 2013-03-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photography-kanchipuram-silk-saree-image14620652 | work =Kanchipuram Silk Saree Stock Photography | title = Image 14620652 |publisher = Dreams time |date= 2010-04-24 | accessdate = 2013-03-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/konLRIQkD2_73vIR6KdPXQ | work = Picasa Web Albums | title = Sareeslook sarees | date = 2009-11-13 | access-date = 2013-03-11 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130124184517/http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/konLRIQkD2_73vIR6KdPXQ | archive-date = 2013-01-24 }}</ref>

==Gallery== <gallery mode="packed" heights="200px"> Haj piadeh 9 gonbad - panoramio.jpg|Usage of boteh pattern in Haji Piyada Mosquee, 9th century, Afghanistan Fragment (Iran), 18th century (CH 18130933).jpg|18th-century fragment of textile from Iran with boteh Dollfus Mieg & Cie (DMC), 1866, No. 20 Robe Caroline, RP-P-2009-3513.jpg|French dress with printed boteh in 1866 MaangaDesign.JPG|Modern silk sari with ''mankolam'' design, made in Kanchipuram Persian Silk Brocade - Paisley - Persian Paisley - Pahlavi Dynasty.jpg|Persian silk brocade from the Pahlavi era Printed Tissue Stamp.jpg|Wood handstamp for textile printing traditional "paisley" designs, Isfahan, Iran Lahic.jpg|Buta on copper items in Lahij Persian Silk Brocade - Paisley - Persian Paisley - Abdollah Salami - 1939.jpg |Persian silk brocade with golden thread (''golabetoon''), woven in 1939 </gallery>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Sources== {{Commons category|Boteh}} * F. Petri «Origin of the Book of the Dead Angient Egipt». 1926. June part 2 с 41-45{{cn |date=December 2025 |reason=If this refers to Flinders Petrie, it appears he did not write a book with a name anything like this.}} * С. Ашурбейли «Новые изыскания по истории Баку и Девичьей башни» Альманах искусств 1972 г, С.Ашурбейли «О датировке и назначении Гыз галасы в крепости» Элм. 1974 г.

{{Ornaments}}

Category:Ornaments Category:Arts in Azerbaijan Category:Persian words and phrases